A recent study by the Psychiatry Service of Hospital del Mar has highlighted the effectiveness of multidisciplinary teams in addressing hoarding behavior in the home, a phenomenon that affects a considerable percentage of the population. This research, which was carried out in collaboration with the City Council of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, has been published in the prestigious Clinical Social Work Journal and was conducted over two years, analyzing the performance of three different teams dedicated to this issue in the cities of L’Hospitalet and Barcelona.
Researchers reviewed a total of 214 cases that required professional intervention. The study results revealed that the team in L’Hospitalet, which operates with a specialized approach and is led by a social worker along with a lawyer and an environmental technician, successfully resolved 84.5% of cases. In contrast, the other two teams studied showed significantly lower success rates, at 36.6% and 36.4% respectively.
The report highlights that centralizing management and leadership within a single team not only allows for a deeper understanding of each case, but also improves the ability to intervene and anticipate potential difficulties. As a result of this coordinated approach, greater collaboration has been observed from those affected during the process of cleaning their homes, facilitating access to legal resources in situations that required cleaning against the owners’ will.
Dr. David Córcoles, a psychiatrist at Hospital del Mar and one of the study’s authors, emphasized the importance of having a team that acts as an intermediary between the affected person and their environment. This model not only addresses immediate circumstances related to hoarding, but also meets other needs, generating greater trust in patients and encouraging their motivation for change.
Hoarding disorder, previously known as Diogenes syndrome, is estimated to affect between 1.7% and 3.4% of the population. In light of these findings, researchers suggest that the model implemented in L’Hospitalet should be replicated in other cities in order to more effectively address this growing social issue.
via: MiMub in Spanish
